After an unforgettable career at UConn, and a notable one in the NBA, Scott Burrell, 47, is coaching close to home at SCSU. On Nov. 2 he will play at UConn - and join the Huskies Of Honor. He talks about his long, interesting career on the UConn Insider Podcast. (Courant file photo)

Scott Burrell has traveled the world, been to the top of the basketball summit, and the center of Connecticut sports history. A full-circle career has bought him back home.

“Everybody says, ‘Don’t you want a Division I job?’” said Burrell, who is going into his fourth season as head men’s basketball coach at Southern Connecticut. “If I get a situation that comes up, it would have to be the right situation. I’m happy where I am, I love my bosses, I enjoy coaching the players I coach, I enjoy coaching at this level. Just be happy with what you do. When you’re happy at home with your family and everything, the job is secondary. I’m able to spend time with my family, see my mom and dad every day.”

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Burrell coaches the Division II Owls in the city where his father, Sam, was a longtime educator and coach, and just across the town line from Hamden, where he drew national attention as a three-sport high school star in the 1980s, a first-round draft pick in the NBA and major league baseball.

And Burrell, 47, is close enough to UConn, and the program he helped to put on the map, to remain a part of the Huskies family. On Nov. 2, it all comes together. Burrell will take his team to Gampel Pavilion to play an exhibition game against UConn, and before the 7 p.m. tip, he will be inducted into the Huskies Of Honor, his name and number going up with the greats of Huskies history.

On Wednesday, Burrell carved out 35 minutes between speaking to a class at Southern and starting his practice to record an episode of The Courant’s UConn Insider Podcast, which can be heard on www.courant.com.

It’s exciting, it’ll be up there forever - that’s the most exciting thing.

Scott Burrell, on joining Huskies Of Honor

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“It’s exciting, it’ll be up there forever,” Burrell said of joining the UConn honorees. “That’s the most exciting thing.”

Burrell will join 20 other Huskies players and coaches. During his four college seasons, he scored 1,562 points, with 752 rebounds and 293 assists. His 310 steals, which include 112 to lead the nation as a sophomore, remain the career record for the program. He was an all-Big East player three times, and voted to UConn’s All-Century team in 1999.

But he will be ever remembered for “The Pass” that led to “The Shot.” With one second left in the NCAA’s Round of 16 game against Clemson in 1990, Burrell, who’d had major college football offers to play quarterback, threw it the length of the court to Tate George, who got the shot off and won the game.

“I know taking it out of bounds, I couldn’t let anyone tip it,” Burrell said. “Because Elden Campbell was in front of me and as soon as he tips it, the clock runs out. Tate did a great job of walling off his defender and just like a wide receiver, he gave me an area to throw the ball. He turned and shot it. We didn’t give up. We were upset at being in that situation after giving up [an 18-point] lead, but with one second on the clock, we still thought we had a chance. Everybody said it was a ‘dream season,’ and it ended up one game short of the great ending.”

UConn lost in the Regional Final at the Meadowlands two days later, on a game-winning shot by Duke’s Christian Laettner. But Burrell, as a freshman, had helped UConn reach the thick of March Madness, setting the stage for the championships that came later, justifying his decision to give up pro baseball — he once dreamed of being the next Dwight Gooden — to concentrate on basketball.

Burrell went on to win his own championship in the NBA with the Bulls in 1998. From his Chicago days, he remembered how hard Michael Jordan worked at his craft every day, and how scared he was of hurting Jordan in practice, should there be a mishap.

“… Because if that happened, not only would everybody in Chicago hate you, the whole world would hate you,” Burrell said. “He would say, ‘I’m not going to get hurt, just come at me hard, make me better.’”

After his playing days, Burrell turned to coaching and joined Tom Moore’s staff at Quinnipiac before taking over at Southern. To the role, he brings something from everyone who has coached him, including Hall of Famers Jim Calhoun at UConn and Phil Jackson in Chicago.

“They both taught the game,” Burrell said. “They both taught. One taught a little more sternly than the other, but they both got the most out of all their players. Now, after they teach you, you’ve got to go figure it out on your own. If you don’t compete, you don’t play, and rightfully so, because that’s what life’s about, competing, doing the right things and earning what you get.”

At Southern, Burrell has coached in two NCAA Division II Tournaments, and had winning seasons each year. He is excited about the upcoming year, and the trip to UConn will provide a chance for his team to toughen up against a Division I opponent, and a little money for the SCSU program.

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“I think Dan Hurley is going to do a great job there,” Burrell said. “He’s won everywhere he’s been, they’re fun to watch. It’ll be exciting to play against them because I know one thing, they’re going to compete, they’re going to dive on every loose ball, they’re going to punch you in the face, challenge you every time you catch a pass. It’s going to be exciting for our guys to play against those guys.”

On This Date in 1990: Scott Burrell length-of-court pass to Tate George who hits miracle shot at buzzer giving UConn 71-70 win over Clemson